Guest blogger: Dynamic Duo

We now return to our somewhat regularly scheduled programming. Our topic today, for however long you stay on it, is the glue guy, the teammate who stands up and jumps in to help you, no matter what. Along those lines, before we get started, a shout out to my glue guy, who prefers to take no credit here, but stood up and jumped in to help today.
So, what you have here is a partially edited, paraphrased and directly lifted post, a team effort if you will.

The glue guy: vital yet under valued
How great is it to know that no matter what happens, you have a teammate who will jump in against anyone, whether they are over matched or not, to help you. Because you are their teammate. It is invaluable to a team. It’s what makes a leader, especially in the only sport where fighting isn’t illegal.

Guys like Prust and Avery (yes, Aves) and Gravey and Beuke etc. (or Eager from the Hawks, or Orpik or Malone or Colby Armstrong, you get the gist) are really under valued and vital.

A hockey leader has to honor a code to be physically present at any time if necessary. It is why (so our poster believes) guys like Jagr, Leetch and Gretzky, while amazing Hall of Fame players, will never be as good a captain as guys that will answer the bell like Mess, Mike Richards, Iggy, and so on. Hockey players just respond to that type of leadership better because it is a major component of the game itself (talent is obviously still very important).

Look at the roster of any Stanley Cup team and you’ll see a couple of stand-up guys who were vital to the success. Think of Talbot’s fight with Carcillo the year the Pens won, for instance. Talbot was way out classed in the fight, but was willing to go, and that turned that series around.

These guys may not be the best skaters or most offensively gifted or skilled players, but they never hesitate to lay their butts on the line. They go out there and drop their gloves against anyone, because that is what a stand-up/glue guy does.

Take Voros for example: He took beatings, but always went back for more because he is a teammate and stand-up guy. Most fans don’t appreciate that kind of loyalty to another, all they care about are fancy goals or saves.
(Note from me: I like this last line cause it kind of channels Springsteen :)
Every shiny sports car has a dirty engine under the hood.

Laurel Babcock is the communities editor for The Journal News, LoHud.com and Express publications. She joined The Journal News as a reporter in 1985 and covered several northern Westchester municipalities and beats, including education and government, and general assignment reporting in Rockland County, before becoming an editor overseeing coverage in White Plains and other central Westchester and Sound Shore communities. She now oversees the newspaper’s weekly Express publications.